The criticism extended beyond the procurement decision to broader actions and statements by Antwerp's mayor, aligning the city with Israeli interests in ways that Mertens and the PVDA find troubling.
Over the last 48 hours over 1,000 people donated to the campaign, money will be used to pay for private security for Matisyahu and his family.
The BDS movement claimed that the sports sector in Gaza is suffering “the ugliest of infringements and massacres,” including “the targeting of Palestinian athletes”
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's statement did not mention the release of hostages that have been detained by terrorist groups in Gaza since October 7th.
Actor Noah Schnapp, who is Jewish American, initially posted an impassioned statement on Instagram condemning the violence and advocating for peace on both sides.
Yair Wallach has a record of anti-Israel hostility so appalling that he should be the subject of study by the center, not one of the “experts” to whom it is giving a platform.
The boycott applies only to formal collaborations with the association itself, and it does not apply to individual Israeli academics.
“In journalistic circles, the question was not when Fabian Wolff’s costume of Judaism would be exposed, but only who would make it public first,” wrote journalist Philipp Peyman Engel.
As they navigate through this partnership, both organizations must be conscious that future success relies not only on their cooperation but also on their ability to learn from past mistakes.
“The BDS movement deliberately asks public bodies to treat Israel differently from any other nation on the globe,” said Secretary of State Michael Gove.